William Rast

An impressive slice of the industry showed up for Justin Timberlake and his partner Trace Ayala's runway debut. "We're just here to introduce ourselves," said Timberlake modestly, standing backstage with Ayala. Well, New York, meet the William Rast girl. She's tough and tomboyish, but also dangerous and sexy. She's from the country, but now cosmopolitan enough to wear a fringed cowboy bootie and plaid shirt with a mix of integrity and irony. The hard-edged look was mainly comprised of biker jackets and vests in denim, soft leather, and army fatigue cotton, trimmed with brass pyramid studs or fringe and worn with lean distressed jeans. Having teamed up with Johan and Marcella Lindeberg as creative directors of the label, Ayala and Timberlake seem serious about having a go at fashion and building what Timberlake referred to as "a true American brand." Unlike many celebrity-associated lines we've seen pass through our fair city, these are clothes that girls would wearthe best, and seemingly most substantial in terms of design quotient, being the jackets. Only time will tell, but Timberlake may be adding a new hyphen to his title.